Texas Longhorns vs Houston Cougars Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 02/17/2024

Game Time: 1:00 pm ET, Saturday, February 17, 2024

Venue:  Fertitta Center, Houston, TX

Where to Watch:  CBS

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Texas +11.5, Houston -11.5; Over/Under:  131 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Texas +11.5, Houston -11.5; Over/Under:  131 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Texas +11.5, Houston -11.5; Over/Under:  131 points

Texas Longhorns:  16-8 (5-6) (9th place, Big 12)

Houston Cougars:  21-3 (8-3) (1st place, Big 12)

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Texas Longhorns:  2-3  last 5

Houston Cougars:  4-1  last 5

Texas is entering this game with a 16-8 record overall, a 5-6 record in conference games, and they are 3-3 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the West Virginia Mountaineers in their last game. Dylan Disu led the team in points per game in that game with 27 while Max Abmas and Tyrese Hunter each were next on the team with 19. Max Abmas led the team in assists with 9 in that game while Dillon Mitchell led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 51.4% from the field, 46.9% from 3-point range, and 87.5% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 76.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 67.8 PPG against them. Texas has an ATS record of 9-15 this season and their O/U record is 13-11.

Houston is entering this game with a 21-3 record overall, an 8-3 conference record, and they are 13-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Cincinnati Bearcats in their last game. J'wan Roberts led the team in points in that game with 20 while Jamal Shead was next on the team with 16. Jamal Shead led the team in assists with 4 in that game while J'wan Roberts led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 39.1% from the field, 18.8% from 3-point range, and 71.4% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 73.6 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 54.7 PPG against them. Houston has an ATS record of 11-12-1 this season and their O/U record is 9-15.

The current betting odds have Houston listed as an 11.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Houston has looked great in their games this season with their 21-3 record overall which has them ranked inside the top 25 teams in the country and also ranked as one of the best in the nation. They have looked great in their 1st season of being in the Big 12 as they are leading the way with their 8-3 conference record and they have also looked great on their home court all year with their 13-0 home record. Meanwhile, Texas has also looked good in their games this season with their 16-8 record overall, but they haven't looked nearly as good in their conference games. They have a 5-6 conference record this season which has them in the bottom half of the Big 12 and they haven't looked any better in their road games with their 3-3 road record. Houston has been on a roll in the Big 12 all season as they look to prove they are one of the best teams in the country with an outstanding 1st year in the conference and they are going to have the extra motivation too of this being a rivalry game for them, their 1st rivalry game with Texas as new conference opponents too. The best way to place a bet here is on Houston to cover the spread in this game. 

Texas Houston Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Saturday, February 17, 2024 (1:00 pm ET start time) is Houston 86 Texas 62.

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Texas Longhorns: 14-26 ATS after a game where they covered the spread. 3-12 ATS after 1 or more consecutive wins. 2-10 ATS after a win by 10 points or more. 8-3 OVER against conference opponents. 10-5 OVER off a home win against a conference rival. 15-7 OVER after playing 2 consecutive home games.

Houston Cougars: 28-19 ATS in all home games. 9-3 ATS after a win by 6 points or less. 25-14 ATS after a game where they failed to cover the spread. 12-6 OVER off a road win against a conference rival. 6-2 OVER after a game forcing the opponent to commit 8 or less turnovers.

Texas Longhorns:  None.

Houston Cougars:  T. Arceneaux (G) out for season - Achilles.

“Max is a great teammate. Incredible teammate. Always say to our guys, ‘If we have a room full of great teammates, then we’re going to probably have a great team.’ But he’s an ultimate teammate, man.” - Rodney Terry on Max Abmas and his performance this college basketball season.

“I coached against Bob (former Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins) a lot. One of the best teams I’ve coached against was Kenyon (Martin's) team. ... I felt like we were boys against men that night. ... Any time you play Cincinnati, it’s always going to be a tough, physical game. But we don’t mind that.” - Kelvin Sampson after his team’s win against Cincinnati in their last game on Saturday.

M. Abmas 

B. Cunningham 

T. Hunter 

D. Mitchell 

K. Shedrick

L. Cryer 

J. Francis 

J. Roberts 

E. Sharp 

J. Shead

PPG: M. Abmas (17.7)

APG: T. Hunter (4.5)

Reb/G: D. Mitchell (8.6)

PPG: L. Cryer (14.8)

APG: J. Shead (5.8)

Reb/G: J. Roberts (7.1)

Coaches:

Texas Longhorns: Rodney Terry (2nd season)

Houston Cougars: Kelvin Sampson (10th season)